10 Responses

Nothing! In fact the Sun is not stationary. First it’s moving round the collection of stars we call the Milky Way Galaxy. It’s moving at an amazing 200 kilometres per second round the Galaxy. That’s almost 1000 times faster than the speed of sound!

Second the Galaxy itself is moving through the Universe, carrying the Sun with it. Again that speed is several hundred km per second. So it’s incredible, isn’t it, that we don’t even notice this?

Your question talks about gravity. It’s the Galaxy’s gravitational force that makes the Sun keep rotating round. Gravity pulls it inwards, centrifugal force pushes it outwards, the net result is that the Sun goes round the Galaxy in the same way that the Earth goes round the Sun and the Moon round the Earth. Circles inside circles!

Thanks but people say that the sun never moves; it’s the earth that moves and makes it look like the sun is moving.But it does move. Do we notice it?
Also you said that the sun moves 1000 times faster than the speed of sound. How does the earth keep up with the sun?

i think what philipjbrown was trying to say is that the solar system moves around the galaxy at a 1000 times faster than the speed of sound rather than the sun and this is why the earth keeps up! and as the solar system moves the planets orbit the sun.

Good question. I’m sure there are scientists that can answer it as it is currently known. However keep in mind that knowlege is always changing and what was once thought to be this is now that. For example, is was once thought that the universe was expanding slower, now they say it’s faster! In a 100 years they could say it’s not moving at all! I personally don’t want to know what holds the sun in place. I just marvel looking at the sun (never do this directly) and think “Wow! Look at that bright thing in the sky. It’s lit up the whole earth and keeps us warm!”

If the earth is held by the sun’s gravitational pull and gravity of the other planet’s what then prevents Mercury from crashing into the sun since it is smaller than earth and venus and closer to the sun with it’s enormous gravitational pull? Plus if Halley’s comet has an elipical orbit then again why does it not crash into the sun? How does Pluto not fly away from its orbit for it cannot have that great an attraction by the sun’s gravity as compared to Jupiter or Saturn or Neptune? I am a rookie at this. Help me to understand.

someday mars will fall into the sun and all the other planets as well.And the sun will plung into the center of the galaxy. but it will be a very long time some say 27 billion years from now so don’t fret .

This is a great explanation of how a few planets stay in place.But,is it true for all planets?Circles inside of circles is a great way too explain the question.So there must be a very strong gravitational pull by all the other planets.I wonder what the DNA is of all the circles to make them work inside one another.Your answer,also gives great strength to the other large question,is there a God.Only God can create something from the elements He has already created.Just like men,who He made from dirt and woman who He made from the rib of man.